Overlay contrast control in augmented reality displays

ABSTRACT

Example embodiments provide systems and methods for overlay contrast control in augmented reality displays. In an example method, contrast enhancement data including data describing at least a portion of a background image for presentation under an informational overlay on a display device is accessed. The informational overlay includes at least one of a graphical element or a textual element to partially obscure a scene. Data identifying at least a portion of the information overlay under which the background image is to be presented is generated. The background image is presented on a display device atop the portion of the scene corresponding to the portion of the informational overlay, and the information overlay is presented on the display device atop the background image and the scene.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to information displaytechnology and, in a specific example embodiment, to contrast control ofan informational overlay in augmented reality displays.

BACKGROUND

Augmented reality (AR) displays have been employed in a wide variety ofenvironments in which a displayed physical or virtual scene is augmentedor enhanced with additional information (e.g., text, graphics, and soon) presented over the scene on the display from the perspective of theviewer. One example of an AR display is a heads-up display (HUD) foraircraft, automobiles, and the like, in which the information overlay isprojected onto glass or another medium through which a user may view aphysical scene, such as a roadway. Another example of an AR display is adisplay of a smart phone or tablet computer equipped with a camera suchthat a physical scene captured by the camera is presented on thedisplay, with an informational overlay also being presented on thedisplay over the scene. In another example of an AR display, a virtualscene, such as that presented in a first-person shooter (FPS) game, maybe augmented with an informational overlay, with the virtual scene andthe information overlay being presented on a video monitor, television,or the like.

In some situations, the scene being displayed may render theinformational overlay less readable or visible, possibly rendering thatinformation less useful. For example, in an informational overlay thatidentifies points of interest (e.g., streets, stores, and so on) by wayof text, graphics, or the like, a portion of a scene upon which part ofthe informational overlay is presented may be of a similar color and/ortexture of that part of the overlay, thus potentially rendering thatparticular part of the informational overlay less observable to theuser.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Various ones of the appended drawings merely illustrate exampleembodiments of the present disclosure and cannot be considered aslimiting in scope.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram of an example user device including a displaydevice for displaying a scene captured via a camera upon which aninformational overlay may be presented.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram of an example user device including aprojector for projecting an informational overlay onto a transparentsurface through which a scene may be viewed.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram of an example user device including atransparent display device that may present an information overlay andthrough which a scene may be viewed.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example overlay module employable withinone or more of the user devices of FIGS. 1A, 1B, and IC.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an example method of modifying an emphasisof an informational overlay in an augmented reality display.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are data flow diagrams of example methods of generatingscene change data for modifying an emphasis of an informational overlay.

FIG. 5A is a graphical depiction of a scene with an informationaloverlay.

FIG. 5B is a graphical depiction of a scene related to the scene in FIG.5A, in which an emphasis of the informational overlay is modified.

FIG. 6 is flow diagram of an example method of providing contrastcontrol for an informational overlay in an augmented reality display.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an example method of employing scene changedata to modify contrast enhancement data used to provide contrastcontrol for an informational overlay.

FIG. 8 is a graphical representation of a scene upon which aninformational overlay is provided, showing contrast enhancement of aportion of the informational overlay by way of a background image.

FIG. 9A is a graphical representation of a scene upon which a virtualvideo display is presented without contrast enhancement.

FIG. 9B is a graphical representation of the scene of FIG. 9A upon whicha virtual video display is presented with contrast enhancement.

FIG. 10 is a simplified block diagram of a machine in an example form ofa computing system within which a set of instructions for causing themachine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed hereinmay be executed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide an understanding ofvarious example embodiments of the present subject matter. It will beevident, however, to those skilled in the art, that example embodimentsof the present subject matter may be practiced without these specificdetails.

FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C are block diagrams of example user devices 101A,101B, 101C (collectively, 101) by which an augmented reality (AR)display may be presented to a user, and thus may serve as platforms uponwhich example embodiments that are discussed in greater detail below maybe provided. FIG. 1A is a block diagram of an example user device 101Aincluding a display device 102 for displaying a scene (e.g., primaryscene 110) captured via a camera 104, and for displaying a correspondinginformational overlay. The user device 101A includes an overlay module106 that may be configured to provide the informational overlay, such astext, graphics, and/or other visual elements, that is to be presented“atop” (e.g., appearing in front of, or on top of, and thus partiallyblocking or obscuring) a representation of the primary the scene 110 onthe display device 102. The scene 110 is a representation of an actualor virtual environment (e.g., an outdoor or indoor view of a physicalarea, such as may be captured by way of a camera; a view of a virtualworld from the point of view of a player in a gaming environment, andthe like). In an example embodiment, the overlay module 106, which isdescribed more fully below in conjunction with FIG. 2, may provideoverlay emphasis modification, overlay contrast control, and otherfunctions described below regarding the presentation of theinformational overlay. Such functions may be aided, in some exampleembodiments, using data generated by the camera 104 in capturing theprimary scene 110. In an example embodiment, the overlay module 106 maybe configured to add to or replace one or more portions of imagescaptured by the camera 104 prior to presenting the resulting compositeimages to a user via the display device 102. The display device 102, invarious example embodiments, may be a flat panel display, such as atouchscreen, but other types of display devices 102 may be incorporatedwithin the user device 101A in other embodiments. Example embodiments ofthe user device 101A may include, but are not limited to, portabledevices, such as smart phones, tablet computers, virtual reality (VR)headsets, and so on. However, other example embodiments, includingnon-portable devices, such as desktop computers, as well as devices inwhich the camera 104 may be located external to the user device 101A,may also employ the various example embodiments of the overlay module106 described hereafter.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram of an example user device 101B including aprojector 103 for projecting an informational overlay onto a transparentprojection surface 112 (e.g., glass, acrylic, and so forth) throughwhich the primary scene 110 may be viewed. In this example, an overlaymodule 106 may generate the informational overlay and provide thatoverlay in a format used by the projector 103. In addition, the userdevice 101B may include a camera 104 to capture the primary scene 110and employ the resulting data as input to the overlay module 106, as isdescribed more fully below. An example embodiment of the user device101B may be a heads-up display (HUD)), which may be employed interrestrial vehicles, aircraft, spacecraft, and so on. However, othertypes of user devices 101B employing the architecture depicted in FIG.1B are also possible.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram of an example user device 101C including atransparent display device 105 that may present an informational overlaygenerated by an overlay module 106 and through which a primary scene 110may be viewed. In an example embodiment, the transparent display device105 may include light-emitting diodes (LEDs), such as organic LEDs(OLEDs), attached to or embedded within a transparent structure, such asglass or acrylic. As with the example embodiments of FIG. 1B, the userdevice 101C may also include a camera 104 to capture the primary scene110 and generate data for use by the overlay module 106 to modify orotherwise process the informational overlay to be presented to the user.In an example embodiment, the user device 101C may be another type ofheads-up display employable in vehicles, aircraft, and the like. Inaddition, the user device 101C, as well as the user device 101B of FIG.1B, may be a gaming device such that each player employs a separate userdevice 101 through which they view a common screen of the action, and inwhich each user device 101 provides information intended solely for thecorresponding player. In some example embodiments, the transparentdisplay device 105 may include a shuttering structure (e.g., aliquid-crystal display (LCD) structure) or other light-blockingstructure or system that may be controlled to cause partial or totalblocking of all, or one or more portions, of the primary scene 110, fromthe perspective of the viewer, thus modifying the transparency of one ormore portions of the transparent display device 105.

In example embodiments, other components aside from the display device102, the projector 103, the camera 104, the overlay module 106, and soon may also be incorporated within the user device 101, such as ahuman-machine interface (HMI), a data storage device (e.g., flashmemory, magnetic disk drive, optical disk drive, and so on), a wired orwireless communication interface (e.g., an interface for a wide-areanetwork (WAN) (e.g., the Internet), a cellular network (e.g.,third-generation (3G) or fourth-generation (4G) network), a cabletelevision network, a satellite communication network, or any othercommunication network or connection, or combinations thereof), and soforth.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example overlay module 106 employablewithin one or more of the user devices 101A, 101B, 101C of FIGS. 1A,11B, and 1C, as mentioned above. In an example embodiment, the overlaymodule 106 may include one or more of an overlay data access module 202,a scene change data access module 204, a scene data analyzer 206, ascene object identifier 208, a device motion detector 210, an overlayemphasis modifier 212, an overlay contrast enhancement data accessmodule 214, an overlay background image generator 216, or an overlayoutput generator 218. In various example embodiments, the variousmodules 202-218 of the overlay module 106 may be implemented in hardware(e.g., logic circuits and other electronic components), in software orfirmware in the form of instructions stored in a memory and configuredto be executed on one or more hardware processors (e.g.,microprocessors, microcontrollers, and the like), or some combinationthereof. Also, depending on the particular user device 101 in which theoverlay module 106 is implemented, fewer than all of the modules 202-218may be implemented, and additional modules other than those explicitlydepicted in FIG. 2 may be employed.

The overlay data access module 202 may be configured to access overlaydata from a data source internal to, or external to, the overlay module106 or the user device 101. In an example embodiment, the overlay dataincludes data that describes textual and/or graphical elements that areto be presented as an informational overlay over a scene 110 beingdisplayed to a user. The overlay data, in an example embodiment, mayspecify the color, intensity, and/or other characteristics of eachpicture element (pixel) of the informational overlay in a compressed oruncompressed format.

In some example embodiments, the overlay data access module 202 maygenerate the overlay data using other accessible data, such as map datacorresponding to the scene 110 being presented or viewed by the user.Further, the user device 101 may include a location detector (e.g., aGlobal Positioning System (GPS) receiver) and orientation sensor (e.g.,one or more gyroscopic sensors) to determine a location and orientationof the user device 101, and correlate the determined location andorientation of the user device 101 with the map data to determine theoverlay data. In other example embodiments, the overlay data accessmodule 202 may employ image data (e.g., data from the camera 104) incombination with the map data to generate the overlay data.

In yet other example embodiments, the overlay data access module 202 mayreceive overlay data or related information concerning a physical orvirtual environment depicted in the scene 110 being presented to theuser of the user device 101. For example, the overlay data access module202 may receive, from a game operating on the user device 101 or anexternal device, information regarding a location and orientation withina virtual gaming world and/or overlay data describing that location andorientation. The overlay module 106 may present the resultinginformational overlay atop a view of the virtual gaming world to theuser (e.g., via the display device 102).

The scene change data access module 204 may be configured to access orreceive scene change data regarding the primary scene 110 from a moduleor component within, or external to, the overlay module 106. In anexample embodiment, the scene change data may identify one or more areasor portions of the primary scene 110 that have changed over some periodof time. Such information may also indicate how, by how much, or howquickly the one or more portions of the primary scene 110 have changed.Changes to the primary scene 110 may include changes in intensity,color, and other characteristics of one or more portions of the scene110. As is described below, the scene change data may be employed tomodify the informational overlay as presented to the user. In an exampleembodiment, the scene change data is stored in a data structure that mayindicate one or more portions of the scene 110 that have changed, aswell as possibly a magnitude of the change. In other exampleembodiments, the scene change data may not indicate changes (e.g., inobject movement, in brightness, in color, and/or in other aspects) inthe scene 110 that fall below some threshold value.

The scene data analyzer 206 may be configured to analyze data describingthe primary scene 110 (e.g., data generated by the camera 104 or somedevice external to the user device 101), such as image capture data of areal or virtual environment depicted in the scene 110. The scene dataanalyzer 206 may then generate the scene change data that is accessedvia the scene change data access module 204 described above. In anexample embodiment, the scene data analyzer 206 may compare a currentversion of the scene 110 (e.g., a current image of the scene 110) and aprevious version of the scene 110 to detect changes in the scene 110.Data describing those changes may be generated as scene change data.Other ways of analyzing the scene 110 and generating scene change datamay also be employed in other example embodiments.

In another example embodiment, the scene data analyzer 206 may analyzedata describing the primary scene 110 and generate data indicating oneor more aspects of the current primary scene 110, as opposed togenerating scene change data. For example, the scene data analyzer 206may generate data correlating particular areas of the primary scene 110with one or more values indicating color, brightness, complexity, and/orother visual aspects of each of the particular areas. In other exampleembodiments, the scene data analyzer 206 may generate data correlatingparticular areas of the primary scene 110 with one or more objectsrepresented in the current primary scene 110. Other types of datadescribing the primary scene 110 may be generated in other exampleembodiments.

The scene object identifier 208 may be configured to detect one or moreobjects in a scene 110. Such objects may include manmade objects (e.g.,vehicles, signage, streets, curbs, buildings, and so on), naturalobjects (e.g., trees, hills, ponds, and so forth), people, animals, andthe like. The scene object identifier 208, in an example embodiment, mayidentify such objects by way of shape, color, visual texture, and othercharacteristics, possibly by way of comparing image data correspondingto a scene 110 with stored information describing one or more visualaspects of various objects. The scene object identifier 208, based onthe detection of objects, may generate data indicating the presence ofone or more objects detected in the scene 110, including a location ofthe object within the scene 110, a distance or range from the vantagepoint of the user device 101 to the object, and other informationdescribing the object.

In an example embodiment, the scene object identifier 208 may identifyone or more objects based on information provided, directly orindirectly, by the user. For example, the user may indicate a particulardestination (e.g., by way of mapping software executing on the userdevice 101). Critical locations along that route, such as turns atintersections, the location of an entrance to the destination, and soforth), may be identified by the mapping software and forwarded to thescene object identifier 208. In turn, the scene object identifier 208,based on the physical appearance of the critical location, the captureddata of the scene, the location and/or orientation of the user device101, and possibly other information, may identify a particular area orportion of the scene 110 in which the critical location appears. Otherways of identifying one or more objects in the scene 110 are alsopossible. In an example embodiment, the scene object identifier 208 mayforward an indication of the detected object data to the scene dataanalyzer 206, which may process that data to determine movement of oneor more objects within the scene 110 over time. Such information may beincluded in the scene change data produced by the scene data analyzer206.

In other examples, another system, device, or application may determinethe object to be detected by the scene object identifier 208. Forexample, a gaming application may provide information regarding one ormore objects (e.g., characters, physical items, and so on) beingpresented in the scene 110, such as their identity, location, range ordistance, and other characteristics based on the actions of the user ofthe user device 101, other users, and so on.

In addition to indicating the location of an object within the scene110, the scene object identifier 208 may determine a distance of theobject from a particular vantage point, such as a distance from the userdevice 101 or the camera 104 capturing the scene 110. For example, acamera 104 may compare an apparent size of the object within the scene110 to a known size of the object to determine the distance between thecamera 104 and the object. In other example embodiments, the sceneobject identifier 208 may employ other object detection technologies,such as radar, sonar, lidar, and the like, to determine a distance orrange to an object identified within the scene 110.

The device motion detector 210 may be configured to detect motion of theuser device 101, such as translational and/or rotational movement of theuser device 101, and generate data indicating such motion. The devicemotion detector 210 may include, for example, a GPS receiver, one ormore gyroscopic sensors, and/or other components. In response to thedetected motion, the device motion detector 210 may generate dataindicative of the motion of the device 101, which may be provided to thescene data analyzer 206 for use in analyzing the scene 110. In otherexample embodiments, the generated motion data may be provided to theoverlay emphasis modifier 212 and/or the overlay background imagegenerator 216.

The overlay emphasis modifier 212 may be configured to modify one ormore visual characteristics of the informational overlay being presentedto the user (e.g., via the display device 102 or projector 103) toemphasize or deemphasize the informational overlay, or a portionthereof, over time. In an example embodiment, the overlay emphasismodifier 212 may modify a brightness, sharpness, color, size, linewidth, text font, or other characteristic of one or more portions of theinformational overlay. For example, a portion of the informationaloverlay may be emphasized by increasing brightness or sharpness of aportion of the overlay, increasing a size or line width of one or morefeatures of the overlay, increasing a font size or using a bold orunderlined font of text in the overlay, changing a color of the overlayto contrast with the underlying scene, and so on. In addition, one ormore characteristics of a portion of the informational overlay may bemodulated over time (e.g., periodic “flashing” or “blinking” of aportion of the overlay) to emphasize that portion of the overlay.Conversely, deemphasizing at least a portion of the informationaloverlay may be accomplished via decreasing a brightness or sharpness(e.g., by blurring or defocusing) of the overlay, decreasing a size orline width of one or more features of the overlay, decreasing a fontsize of text in the overlay, using a color that is chromatically closeto the underlying scene, and the like.

In some example embodiments, the emphasizing or deemphasizing of one ormore portions or areas of an informational overlay may be based on acurrent state of the scene 110, or on a recent or current change to thescene 110. For example, a portion of the information overlay may beemphasized if a portion of the scene 110 presented under or behind theportion of the overlay is visually complex or is not of significantimportance. Oppositely, the informational overlay, or a portion thereof,may be deemphasized in response to a corresponding portion of the scene110 being important or time-critical in some way that warrantsmaximizing the visibility of that portion of the scene 110.

In an example embodiment, the overlay emphasis modifier 212 may receivescene change data from the scene change data access module 204 andemphasize or deemphasize one or more visual characteristics of at leasta portion of the informational overlay in response to a change in thescene 110. More specifically, the scene change data may indicate aparticular portion or area of the scene 110 that has undergone some kindof change. In response, the overlay emphasis modifier 212 may identify aportion of the informational overlay (e.g., a particular visual object,such as a text string or a graphical object) corresponding to theparticular portion of the scene 110, and emphasize or deemphasize thatportion of the overlay. For example, the overlay emphasis modifier 212may determine that one or more portions of the overlay overlap theparticular portion of the scene 110 undergoing a change, and thenemphasize or deemphasize those one or more portions.

In an example embodiment, the scene change data may indicate a portionof the scene 110 corresponding to an object or location of interest(e.g., a point of interest, such as an entrance to a building or parkinglot; a potential obstacle; a character in a game; and so on) located inthe indicated portion of the scene 110. In an example embodiment, suchinformation may be generated by the scene data analyzer 206 and/or thescene object identifier 208. In another example embodiment, the scenechange data may determine an object or location of interest by accessingdata in a database indicating typically busy locations or locations thatmay involve increased attention from the user (e.g., parking lots,intersections, sharp turns, and so on).

The operation of the overlay emphasis modifier 212, in an exampleembodiment, may depend on how the association of the object of interestwith the scene 110 changes over the time, such as how the location ofthe object of interest within the scene 110 changes. For example, theoverlay emphasis modifier 212 may respond to a detected object ofinterest by modifying one or more characteristics of the entire overlay,or of a portion of the overlay corresponding to the detected object. Forexample, if the object of interest enters or leaves a particular area ofthe scene 110 (e.g., a center portion of the scene 110), the overlayemphasis modifier 212 may reduce the brightness or otherwise deemphasizethe portion of the overlay, or emphasize the portion of the overlay,corresponding to a central portion of the scene 110.

In another example embodiment, the overlay emphasis modifier 212 maymodify an emphasis (e.g., emphasize or deemphasize) of all or a portionof the informational overlay in response to some change in a distance orrange of an object of interest from the viewer, device 101, or anothervantage point. For example, if the object of interest appears toencroach within some particular physical distance of the vantage pointof the viewer (e.g., an object within a particular physical distance ofthe camera 104 or the user device 101) or within some virtual distanceof the vantage point of the viewer (e.g., a virtual distance of acharacter from the viewer within the context of a game), the overlayemphasis modifier 212 may emphasize or deemphasize all or a portion ofthe informational overlay, such as a portion corresponding to a portionof the scene 110 corresponding to the object (e.g., the portion of thescene 110 occupied by the object). In another example embodiment, theoverlay emphasis modifier 212 may emphasize or deemphasize all or aportion of the informational overlay in response to the object ofinterest exiting from a particular physical or virtual (e.g., perceived)distance between the vantage point of the viewer and the object.

The overlay emphasis modifier 212 may also modify one or morecharacteristics of all or a portion of the informational overlay, thusemphasizing or deemphasizing that portion of the overlay, in response toa particular magnitude of a scene change, as indicated in the scenechange data. In an example embodiment, if a speed or acceleration of anobject shown in the scene 110 exceeds, or falls below, some particularlevel, the overlay emphasis modifier 212 may emphasize or deemphasizeall or a portion of the overlay accordingly. For example, an object inthe scene 110 that is moving quickly, or accelerates quickly, may causethe overlay emphasis modifier 212 to deemphasize the overlay so thatvisibility of the object in the scene 110 may be enhanced, or theoverlay emphasis modifier 212 may emphasize a single object indicator inthe overlay to draw the attention of the user to the object.

In other examples, quick or slow translational or rotational movementsof the device 101 (e.g., as detected via the device motion detector 210)may cause the overlay emphasis modifier 212 to emphasize or deemphasizeall, or one or more portions, of the informational overlay. For example,the overlay emphasis modifier 212 may deemphasize the informationaloverlay during times in which the device 101 undergoes quicktranslational or rotational motions.

In another example embodiment, instead of relying on scene change data,the overlay emphasis modifier 212 may modify an emphasis (e.g.,emphasize or deemphasize) of all or a portion of the informationaloverlay based on an analysis of data describing the current scene 110.For example, the overlay emphasis modifier 212 may receive data from oneor more of the scene data analyzer 206 or the scene object identifier208 indicating one or more aspects of the current scene 110, and modifyan emphasis of all or a portion of the informational overlay relative tothe current scene 110 based on that data. In an example embodiment, theoverlay emphasis modifier 212 may perform the emphasis modificationrelative to a default or standard informational overlay based on initialscene data prior to the generation of scene change data.

Continuing with FIG. 2, modules such as the overlay contrast enhancementdata access module 214 and the overlay background image generator 216,in conjunction with other modules of the overlay module 106, maycooperate to provide a background image between the scene 110 and theinformational overlay to render the overlay, or one or more portionsthereof, more readable or visible to the user of the user device 101. Inan example embodiment, the overlay contrast enhancement data accessmodule 214 may be configured to access or generate contrast enhancementdata describing the background image to be used. For example, thebackground image may be a semi-transparent or semi-opaque (e.g.,pixelated) background image of some color (e.g., black, gray, red,yellow, etc.) and/or brightness that allows at least some of the scene110 to appear through the background image to be viewed by the user ofthe user device 101. In another example embodiment, the background imagemay be opaque to prevent any of the portion of the scene 110corresponding to the background image from being viewed. Further, thebackground image described by the contrast enhancement data may or maynot match the resolution of the scene 110. In an example embodiment, theoverlay contrast enhancement data may provide a pattern that may then berepeated to cover some portion of the scene 110, as determined by theoverlay background image generator 216.

The overlay background image generator 216 may be configured todetermine a portion of the informational overlay under which thebackground or contrast image is to be presented. In example embodiments,the overlay background image generator 216 may determine the portion ofthe informational overlay based on information from one or more of themodules of the overlay module 106. For example, the overlay backgroundimage generator 216 may determine the portion of the overlay to bebacked with the background image based on data from the scene dataanalyzer 206, such as data indicating a visual complexity of one or moreportions of the scene 110. Based on the visual complexity of a portionof the scene 110 exceeding a particular threshold, the overlaybackground image generator 216 may identify a portion of theinformational overlay corresponding to that portion of the scene 110 towhich the background image is to be applied.

In another example embodiment, the overlay background image generator216 may determine the portion of the informational overlay to be backedby the background image based on information from the device motiondetector 210. For example, when the device motion detector 210 detectstranslational or rotational motion of the user device 101 that exceeds aparticular threshold, the overlay background image generator 216 maydetermine that no portion of the informational overlay is to be backedby a background image, thus allowing at least portions of theinformational overlay to be less discernible or readable while the userdevice 101 continues to exceed the threshold.

In yet another example embodiment, the overlay background imagegenerator 216 may base its identification of the portion of theinformational overlay on the scene change data discussed above, such asthat accessed by the scene change data access module 204, or thatgenerated by the scene data analyzer 206 or the scene object identifier208. For example, in response to data identifying a location of anobject of interest identified by the scene object identifier 208, theoverlay background image generator 216 may identify a portion of theinformation overlay that signifies or identifies (e.g., by way of text,or an arrow or other graphic element) under which the background imageis to be applied to provide additional contrast for that portion of theoverlay. In an example embodiment, such additional contrast may beapplied under particular circumstances involving the object of interest,such as entering or leaving a particular portion or area of the scene110; encroaching within a particular distance of a vantage point, suchas the vantage point of the user of the user device 101; exiting from aparticular distance from the vantage point; and so forth, as describedabove.

The overlay background image generator 216, in an example embodiment,may determine the portion of the overlay to be backed by the backgroundimage based on a magnitude of a change in the scene, as determined bythe scene data analyzer 206 and/or the device motion detector 210,exceeding or falling below some particular magnitude or level, asdescribed above. For example, the overlay background image generator 216may determine that no background image is warranted while the scene 110is changing or moving quickly, while such a background image may bedesirable during a more slowly changing scene 110.

In some example embodiments, the overlay background image generator 216may vary over time the background image being applied over the scene110, such as by way of turning on and off (e.g., flashing or blinking)the background image, altering the nature of the background image (e.g.,via the overlay contract enhancement data being used), and so on toemphasize the portion of the overlay corresponding to the backgroundimage. In an example embodiment, the overlay background image generator216 may reduce a darkness or otherwise alter one or more aspects of thebackground image (e.g., pattern, color, texture, etc.) over time, suchin relation to the location of the corresponding portion of the overlaywithin the scene 110. For example, the darkness of the background imagemay be lessened as the corresponding portion of the overlay moves awayfrom the center of the scene 110, or as the corresponding portion of theoverlay moves more quickly within the scene 110, as the user device 110moves more quickly, and so forth.

The overlay output generator 218 may be configured to cause presentation(e.g., via display device 102 of the user device 101A, the projector 103of the user device 101B, and the transparent display device 105 of theuser device 101C) of the informational overlay and/or the backgroundimage, as generated or modified by the overlay emphasis modifier 212and/or the overlay background image generator 216. In some exampleembodiments, the overlay module 106 may include an overlay emphasismodifier 212 but no overlay background image generator 216, orvice-versa, with the overlay output generator 218 causing thepresentation of the informational overlay being modified by the outputfrom the module that is present in the overlay module 106 (e.g., theoverlay emphasis modifier 212 or the overlay background image generator216). In other example embodiments, the overlay module 106 may includeboth the overlay emphasis modifier 212 and the overlay background imagegenerator 216, which may operate on the same scene 110. Consequently,the overlay output generator 218 may receive the output of both theoverlay emphasis modifier 212 and the overlay background image generator216 to be applied to the informational overlay and the associated scene110 concurrently.

For example, the overlay module 106 (e.g., via the scene data analyzer206, the scene object identifier 208, and/or the device motion detector210) may determine that the scene 110 is currently undergoing a changethat exceeds some threshold, such as by way of motion of objectsdetected in the scene, rotational or translational movement of the userdevice 101 itself, or the like. In response to those changes, theoverlay emphasis modifier 212 may determine that at least a portion ofthe informational overlay should be deemphasized (e.g., less brightness,smaller text font, and so on). Concurrently in response to the samescene 110 changes, the overlay background image generator 216 maydetermine that a background image should not be employed, or such abackground image should be modified to allow more of the underlyingscene 110 to be visible. In response, the overlay output generator 218may modify the background image and the informational overlay accordingto the output from both the overlay emphasis modifier 212 and theoverlay background image generator 216 concurrently.

In another example embodiment, the overlay background image generator216 and/or the overlay output generator 218 may be configured torelocate a portion of the informational overlay, such as one or moreobjects or elements of the overlay, to an area of the scene 110 that ismore compatible with the use of a background image. For example, aparticular element of the informational overlay may correspond with aportion of the scene 110 that is of some importance for viewing by theuser, such as a central portion of the scene 110. In that example, thelocation within the scene 110 of the portion of the informationaloverlay for which the background image is to be employed may be moved toa more peripheral area of the scene, thus allowing the use of thebackground image without negatively impacting the visibility of thecentral portion of the scene 110.

In an example embodiment, the overlay output generator 218 mayseparately generate data or signals representing the informationaloverlay and the background image. For example, with respect to userdevice 101C, the overlay output generator 218 may provide datarepresenting the informational overlay to the transparent display device105 to produce the informational overlay (e.g., via LEDs), and mayprovide data representing the background image to the transparentdisplay device 105 to partially or totally block light received from allof, or one or more portions of, the primary scene 110 (e.g., via an LCDstructure or system coupled with the transparent display device 105).

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an example method 300 of modifying anemphasis of an informational overlay in an augmented reality display.While the method 300 and other methods discussed below are described asbeing performed by the overlay module 106 and the various modulesincluded therein, the method 300 may be performed by other structuresnot explicitly described herein. Also, while the operations of themethod 300 of FIG. 3 and others discussed below are presented in aparticular order, other orders of execution are also possible, includingsimultaneous, concurrent, or overlapping execution of two or moreoperations.

In the method 300, the overlay module 106 may cause the presentation ofan informational overlay atop a scene 110 on a display device (e.g., viathe overlay output generator 218 on the display device 102 of the userdevice 101A, on the transparent projection surface 112 via the projector103 of the user device 101B, or in the transparent display device 105 ofthe user device 101C, via data from the overlay data access module 202)(operation 302). Scene change data indicating a change in the scene 110may be accessed (e.g., via the scene change data access module 204)(operation 304), A visual emphasis (e.g., emphasizing or deemphasizing)of at least a portion of the informational overlay may be modified(e.g., via the overlay emphasis modifier 212, based on data from thescene data analyzer 206, the scene object identifier 208, and/or thedevice motion detector 210) based on the scene change data (operation306). In other example embodiments, the visual emphasis of at least aportion of the informational overlay may be based on data indicating oneor more aspects of the current scene 110, as opposed to scene changedata.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are data flow diagrams of example methods 400A, 400B ofgenerating scene change data for modifying an emphasis of aninformational overlay. In the method 400A, a current version of thescene 110 may be compared to a previous version of the scene 110 (e.g.,by the scene data analyzer 206 or the scene object identifier 208)(operation 402), and the scene change data may be based on thatcomparison (operation 404). In the method 400B, movement data indicatingmovement of a display device (e.g., the display device 102 of the userdevice 101A, the projector 103 of the user device 101B (or thetransparent projection surface 112 associated therewith), or thetransparent display device 105 of the user device 101C) may be accessed(e.g., via the device motion detector 210) (operation 412). The scenechange data may be generated based on the movement data (operation 414),as described above.

FIG. 5A is a graphical depiction of a scene 500A with an exampleinformational overlay. The scene 500A is a view of a street scene thatincludes an entrance 502A to a parking lot for a business of interest tothe user. The related informational overlay includes several elementsproviding guidance to the user so that the user may navigate to theparking lot and the associated business. More particularly, theinformational overlay includes an arrow 508A indicating the location ofthe parking lot entrance 502A, text providing instructions 504A (“TurnHere”) directing the user to turn at the parking lot entrance 502A, anda graphic element 506A (a box) highlighting the text instructions 504A.The informational overlay further includes an arrow 528A to the buildingentrance of interest, a textual label 524A (“Entrance”) for the buildingentrance, and a graphic element 526A highlight the textual label 524A. Atextual label 514A (e.g., suite number) for the building entrance(“23C”) and an associated graphic element 516A are also included in theinformational overlay.

FIG. 5B is a graphical depiction of a scene 500B related to the scene500A in FIG. 5A, in which an emphasis of the informational overlay ismodified. As the user approaches the parking lot entrance 502A, theentrance 502A appears to be closer to the user in the scene 500B than inthe previous scene 500A. Such difference in appearance may be detectedand indicated by the scene object identifier 208 and/or the scene dataanalyzer 206, which may determine that the apparent size of the parkinglot entrance 502A has increased, and/or the location of the parking lotentrance 502A is more centrally located within the current scene 500B.In another example, a GPS receiver of the user device 101 may indicatethat the location of interest is within some particular distance to theuser device 101. In response, the overlay emphasis modifier 212 maydetermine that at least the overlay elements associated with the parkinglot entrance 502A (e.g., the arrow 508A, the textual instructions 504A,and/or the associated graphic element 506A) should be deemphasized toenhance the visibility of the parking lot entrance 502A in the scene. Asshown in FIG. 5B, this deemphasis may include turning the resultingarrow 508B less colorful or more translucent, and removing thecorresponding graphic element 506A entirely, leaving only the textinstructions 504A intact. Similarly, the textual label 514A for thesuite number and the textual label 524A for the building entrance may beleft intact, but the arrow 528A and the graphic elements 516A and 526Aof the original scene 500A have been removed entirely in current scene500B. Other methods of emphasizing or deemphasizing various portions ofthe informational overlay may be employed in other embodiments.

FIG. 6 is flow diagram of an example method 600 of providing contrastcontrol for an informational overlay in an augmented reality display. Inthe method 600, contrast enhancement data describing at least a portionof a background image for presentation under an informational overlay isaccessed (e.g., via the overlay contrast enhancement data access module214) (operation 602). At least a portion of the information overlayunder which the background image is to be presented is identified (e.g.,using the scene data analyzer 206, the scene object identifier 208,and/or the device motion detector 210) (operation 604). The overlaybackground image generator 216 may cause presentation of the backgroundimage atop a portion of the scene 110 corresponding to the portion ofthe informational overlay (operation 606). Further, the overlay outputgenerator 218 may cause presentation of the information overlay atop thebackground image and the scene 110 (operation 608).

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an example method 700 of employing scenechange data to modify contrast enhancement data used to provide contrastcontrol for an informational overlay. In the method 700, scene changedata indicating a change in the scene 110 may be accessed (e.g., via thescene change data access module 204) (operation 702). Data identifying aportion of the overlay tinder which the background image is to bepresented is generated based on the scene change data (e.g., via theoverlay background image generator 216, based on data from the scenedata analyzer 206, the scene object identifier 208, and/or the devicemotion detector 210) (operation 704). In other example embodiments, thedata identifying a portion of the overlay under which the backgroundimage is to be presented is generated based on data describing one ormore aspects (e.g., color, brightness, complexity, object location,object type, etc.) of the current scene 110, as opposed to scene changedata.

FIG. 8 is a graphical representation of a scene 800 upon which aninformational overlay is provided, showing contrast enhancement of aportion of the informational overlay by way of a background image.Aspects of the scene 800 are similar to those of the scene 500A,described above, in which a parking lot entrance 802 of interest isdenoted by way of an arrow 808, instructional text 804 (“Turn here”),and graphic element 806 (e.g., a box) of an informational overlay. Atext label 814 (“Tree”) and associated graphic element 816 denote a treein the scene 800, while two labels 824, 834 (“Sky” and “More Sky”) andcorresponding graphic elements 826, 836 are also included in theinformational overlay.

Also illustrated in FIG. 8 is a background image 840 that appears atopthe scene 800 and behind the “More Sky” label 834 and associated graphicelement 836 to demonstrate the use of the background image 840 toincrease the contrast of the label 834 and graphic element 836, thusincreasing the readability or visibility of those portions of theoverlay relative to other portions of the overlay, such as, for example,the label 824 and associated graphic element 826, in which thecorresponding portion of the scene 800 (e.g., the blue sky) rendersthose elements 824, 826 less readable. The textual instruction 804,label 814, and corresponding graphic elements 806, 816 may also beconsidered less readable or visible due to the visually complex portionof the scene (e.g., the tree) backing those particular elements of theoverlay. As mentioned above, the particular portion of the informationaloverlay under which the background image 840 is presented may be basedon several different factors in other embodiments, such as the movementof objects of interest into or out of one or more areas of the scene800, the movement of objects toward and away from a particular vantagepoint (e.g., the user device 101), movement of the user device 101, andthe like.

FIG. 9A is a graphical representation of a scene 900A upon which avirtual video display 902 is presented without contrast enhancement.More specifically, the virtual video display 902 (e.g., a video clip) ofFIG. 9A is displayed directly atop a white wall 904 in the scene 900A.Presuming the virtual video display 902 is configured to allow at leasta portion of the wall 904 of the scene 900A to appear through thevirtual video display 902, the virtual video display 902 may appearoverly bright or “washed out,” thus reducing the ability of a viewer toobserve at least some of the finer or more detailed aspects of the imagebeing shown via the virtual video display 902.

FIG. 9B is a graphical representation of the scene 900A of FIG. 9A uponwhich the virtual video display 902 is presented with contrastenhancement. More specifically, atop the resulting scene 900B has beenrendered a background image 906, upon which the virtual video display902 is presented, resulting in a display with greater perceivedcontrast. In this particular example embodiment, the background image906 is a gray pixelated image that partially blocks from view theportion of the scene 900B underlying the virtual video display 902.Further, in the example embodiment of FIG. 9B, the resolution of thebackground image 906 is less than that of the scene 900B itself,although the resolution of other background images may be equal to orgreater than that of the corresponding scene.

In view of at least some of the example embodiments described above, allor portions of an informational overlay, such as that employed in an ARdisplay, may be emphasized or deemphasize by way of alteration of one ormore aspects of the informational overlay. Further, the visual contrastof all or portions of the overlay may be modified by way of the use of abackground image. Such modifications may be based on the particularstatus of the underlying scene, changes in the scene, and other factors.By altering the visual aspects of an overlay in such a manner, theoverall usefulness to the user of the overlay may be enhanced.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine 1000,according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions 1024from a machine-readable medium 1022 (e.g., a non-transitorymachine-readable medium, a machine-readable storage medium, or acomputer-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein, in whole or in part. Specifically, FIG.10 depicts the machine 1000 in the example form of a computer device(e.g., a computer) within which the instructions 1024 (e.g., software,firmware, a program, an application, an applet, an app, or otherexecutable code) for causing the machine 1000 to perform any one or moreof the methodologies discussed herein, in whole or in part.

For example, the instructions 1024 may cause the machine 1000 to executethe flow diagrams of FIGS. 3, 4A, 413B, 6, and 7, as well as all exampleembodiments associated therewith. The instructions 1024 can transformthe general, non-programmed machine 1000 into a particular machine(e.g., specially configured machine) programmed to carry out thedescribed and illustrated functions in the manner described. Also, inexample embodiments, the machine 1000 may operate as one or more of themodules 202-218 of the overlay module 106 of FIG. 2, as well as the oneor more of the user devices 101A through 101C of FIGS. 1A through 1C, orany other computing system or device described herein.

In example embodiments, the machine 1000 operates as a standalone deviceor may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. The machine1000 may be a server computer, a client computer, a personal computer(PC), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a set-top box(STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, asmartphone, a web appliance, a network router, a network switch, anetwork bridge, a power adapter, or any machine 1000 capable ofexecuting the instructions 1024, sequentially or otherwise, that specifyactions to be taken by that machine 1000. Further, while only a singlemachine 1000 is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken toinclude a collection of machines that individually or jointly executethe instructions 1024 to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein.

The machine 1000 includes a processor 1002 (e.g., a central processingunit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor(DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), aradio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), or any suitable combinationthereof), a main memory 1004, and a static memory 1006, which areconfigured to communicate with each other via a bus 1008. The processor1002 may contain microcircuits that are configurable, temporarily orpermanently, by some or all of the instructions 1024 such that theprocessor 1002 is configurable to perform any one or more of themethodologies described herein, in whole or in part. For example, a setof one or more microcircuits of the processor 1002 may be configurableto execute one or more modules (e.g., software modules) describedherein.

The machine 1000 may further include a graphics display 1010 (e.g., aplasma display panel (PDP), a light-emitting diode (LED) display, aliquid crystal display (LCD), a projector, a cathode ray tube (CRT), orany other display capable of displaying graphics or video). The machine1000 may also include an alphanumeric input device 1012 (e.g., akeyboard or keypad), a cursor control device 1014 (e.g., a mouse, atouchpad, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, an eye trackingdevice, or other pointing instrument), a storage unit 1016, a signalgeneration device 1018 (e.g., a sound card, an amplifier, a speaker, aheadphone jack, or any suitable combination thereof), and a networkinterface device 1020.

The storage unit 1016 includes the machine-readable medium 1022 (e.g., atangible machine-readable storage medium) on which is stored theinstructions 1024 embodying any one or more of the methodologies orfunctions described herein. The instructions 1024 may also reside,completely or at least partially, within the main memory 1004, withinthe processor 1002 (e.g., within a cache memory of the processor 1002),or both, before or during execution thereof by the machine 1000.Accordingly, the main memory 1004 and the processor 1002 may beconsidered machine-readable media 1022 (e.g., tangible andnon-transitory machine-readable media).

In some example embodiments, the machine 1000 may be a portable ormobile computing device and have one or more additional input components(e.g., sensors or gauges). Examples of such input components include animage input component (e.g., one or more cameras), an audio inputcomponent (e.g., a microphone), a direction input component (e.g., acompass), a location input component (e.g., a Global Positioning System(GPS) receiver), an orientation component (e.g., a gyroscope), a motiondetection component (e.g., one or more accelerometers), an altitudedetection component (e.g., an altimeter), and a gas detection component(e.g., a gas sensor). Inputs harvested by any one or more of these inputcomponents may be accessible and available for use by any of the modulesdescribed herein.

As used herein, the term “memory” refers to a machine-readable medium1022 able to store data temporarily or permanently and may be taken toinclude, but not be limited to, random-access memory (RAM), read-onlymemory (ROM), buffer memory, flash memory, and cache memory. While themachine-readable medium 1022 is shown in an example embodiment to be asingle medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should be taken toinclude a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized ordistributed database, or associated caches and servers) able to storeinstructions 1024. The term “machine-readable medium” shall also betaken to include any medium, or combination of multiple media, that iscapable of storing instructions 1024 for execution by a machine (e.g.,machine 1000), such that the instructions 1024, when executed by one ormore processors of the machine 1000 (e.g., processor 1002), cause themachine 1000 to perform any one or more of the methodologies describedherein. The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken toinclude, but not be limited to, one or more data repositories in theform of a solid-state memory, an optical medium, a magnetic medium, orany suitable combination thereof.

Furthermore, the machine-readable medium 1022 is non-transitory in thatit does not embody a propagating or transitory signal. However, labelingthe machine-readable medium 1022 as “non-transitory” should not beconstrued to mean that the medium is incapable of movement; the mediumshould be considered as being transportable from one physical locationto another in some example embodiments. Additionally, since themachine-readable medium 1022 is tangible, the medium may be considered amachine-readable device.

The instructions 1024 may further be transmitted or received over acommunications network 1026 using a transmission medium via the networkinterface device 1020 and utilizing any one of a number of well-knowntransfer protocols (e.g., Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)). Examplesof communication networks 1026 include a local area network (LAN), awide area network (WAN), the Internet, mobile telephone networks, plainold telephone service (POTS) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g.,Wi-Fi®, LTE®, and WiMAX™ networks). The term “transmission medium” shallbe taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing,encoding, or carrying instructions 1024 for execution by the machine1000, and includes digital or analog communications signals or otherintangible medium to facilitate communication of such software.

In an example embodiment, a computerized method comprises accessing,using at least one of one or more hardware processors, contrastenhancement data describing at least a portion of a background image forpresentation under an informational overlay on a display device, theinformational overlay comprising at least one of a graphical element ora textual element to partially obscure a scene; identifying, using atleast one of the one or more hardware processors, at least a portion ofthe informational overlay under which the background image is to bepresented; causing, on the display device, presentation of thebackground image atop a portion of the scene corresponding to the atleast a portion of the informational overlay; and causing presentationof the informational overlay atop the background image and the scene onthe display device.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the method further comprises causing presentation of thescene on the display device.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the contrast enhancement data comprises data indicating abackground pattern to be used for the background image, the causing ofthe presentation of the background image using the indicated backgroundpattern.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the contrast enhancement data comprises data indicating acolor for the background image, the causing of the presentation of thebackground image using the indicated color.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the contrast enhancement data comprises data indicating abrightness for the background image, the causing of the presentation ofthe background image using the indicated brightness.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the data identifies the at least a portion of theinformational overlay based on a brightness of the portion of the scenecorresponding to the identified portion of the informational overlay.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the data identifies the at least a portion of theinformational overlay based on a visual complexity of the portion of thescene corresponding to the identified portion of the informationaloverlay.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the causing of the presentation of the background imageatop the portion of the scene comprises causing temporal modulation ofthe background image.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the method further comprises accessing scene change dataindicating a change in the scene, the generating of the data identifyingthe at least a portion of the informational overlay based on the scenechange data.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the scene change data comprises an indication of a portionof the scene corresponding to an object of interest in the scenesignified by the identified portion of the informational overlay.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the generating of the data identifies the at least aportion of the informational overlay occurring in response to the objectof interest entering the portion of the scene.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the generating of the data identifies the at least aportion of the informational overlay occurring in response to the objectof interest exiting the portion of the scene.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the generating of the data identifies the at least aportion of the informational overlay occurring in response to the objectof interest encroaching within a particular perceived distance to avantage point of the scene.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the generating of the data identifies the at least aportion of the informational overlay occurring in response to the objectof interest exiting from a particular perceived distance to a vantagepoint of the scene.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the generating of the data identifies the at least aportion of the informational overlay occurring in response to the scenechange data indicating a magnitude of the change in the scene exceedinga particular level during a period of time.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the generating of the data identifies the at least aportion of the informational overlay occurring in response to the scenechange data indicating a magnitude of the change in the scene fallingbelow a particular level during a period of time.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the method further comprises comparing a current version ofthe scene to a previous version of the scene; and generating the scenechange data based on the comparing of the current version of the sceneto the previous version of the scene.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the method further comprises receiving movement dataindicating movement of the display device; and generating the scenechange data based on the movement data.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the movement data indicates translational movement of thedisplay device.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the movement data indicates rotational movement of thedisplay device.

In an example embodiment, a display system comprises one or morehardware processors; and a memory having stored therein instructionsthat, when executed by at least one of the one or more hardwareprocessors, cause the display system to perform operations comprisingaccessing contrast enhancement data describing at least a portion of abackground image for presentation under an informational overlay on adisplay device, the informational overlay comprising at least one of agraphical element or a textual element to partially obscure a scene;identifying at least a portion of the informational overlay under whichthe background image is to be presented; causing, on the display device,presentation of the background image atop a portion of the scenecorresponding to the at least a portion of the informational overlay;and causing presentation of the informational overlay atop thebackground image and the scene on the display device.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the display system further comprises the display device.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the operations further comprise accessing scene change dataindicating a change in the scene, the generating of the data identifyingthe at least a portion of the informational overlay based on the scenechange data.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the display system further comprises a motion detectiondevice coupled to the display device, the motion detection deviceconfigured to generate movement data indicating movement of the displaydevice, the operations further comprising generating the scene changedata based on the movement data.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the operations further comprise comparing a current versionof the scene to a previous version of the scene; and generating thescene change data based on the comparing of the current version of thescene to the previous version of the scene.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the operations further comprise causing presentation of thescene on the display device.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the scene comprises a view of a physical environment; thedisplay device comprises a transparent material through which thephysical environment is viewed; the system further comprises aprojection device; and the causing of the presentation of the backgroundimage and the causing of the presentation of the informational overlaycomprise projecting the background image and the informational overlayusing the projection device onto the transparent material.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the scene comprises a view of a physical environment; thedisplay device comprises a transparent material through which thephysical environment is viewed, and a light-emitting system coupled tothe transparent material; and the causing of the presentation of thebackground image and the causing of the presentation of theinformational overlay comprise causing presentation of the backgroundimage and the informational overlay using the light-emitting system.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the scene comprises a view of a physical environment; thedisplay device comprises a transparent material through which thephysical environment is viewed, a light-emitting system coupled to thetransparent material, and a light-blocking system coupled to thetransparent material to at least partially block light from one or moreportions of the scene; the causing of the presentation of the backgroundimage using the light-blocking system; and the causing of thepresentation of the informational overlay using the light-emittingsystem.

In another example embodiment, including all previous exampleembodiments, the operations further comprise generating one or moresignals including information describing the scene, the backgroundimage, and the informational overlay, and the display device isconfigured to emit light representing the scene, the background image,and the informational overlay based on the one or more signals.

In an example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium comprises instructions that, when executed by one or morehardware processors of a machine, cause the machine to operationscomprising accessing contrast enhancement data describing at least aportion of a background image for presentation under an informationaloverlay on a display device, the informational overlay comprising atleast one of a graphical element or a textual element to partiallyobscure a scene; identifying at least a portion of the informationaloverlay under which the background image is to be presented; causing, onthe display device, presentation of the background image atop a portionof the scene corresponding to the at least a portion of theinformational overlay; and causing presentation of the informationaloverlay atop the background image and the scene on the display device.

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that theoperations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures andfunctionality presented as separate components in example configurationsmay be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly,structures and functionality presented as a single component may beimplemented as separate components. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of thesubject matter herein.

Certain example embodiments are described herein as including logic or anumber of components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules may constituteeither software modules (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readablemedium 1022 or in a transmission signal) or hardware modules. A“hardware module” is a tangible unit capable of performing certainoperations and may be configured or arranged in a certain physicalmanner. In various example embodiments, one or more computer systems(e.g., a standalone computer system, a client computer system, or aserver computer system) or one or more hardware modules of a computersystem (e.g., a processor 1002 or a group of processors 1002) may beconfigured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) asa hardware module that operates to perform certain operations asdescribed herein.

In some example embodiments, a hardware module may be implementedmechanically, electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. Forexample, a hardware module may include dedicated circuitry or logic thatis permanently configured to perform certain operations. For example, ahardware module may be a special-purpose processor, such as afield-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an ASIC. A hardware module mayalso include programmable logic or circuitry that is temporarilyconfigured by software to perform certain operations. For example, ahardware module may include software encompassed within ageneral-purpose processor or other programmable processor. It will beappreciated that the decision to implement a hardware modulemechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or intemporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the phrase “hardware module” should be understood toencompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physicallyconstructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarilyconfigured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or toperform certain operations described herein. As used herein,“hardware-implemented module” refers to a hardware module. Consideringexample embodiments in which hardware modules are temporarily configured(e.g., programmed), each of the hardware modules need not be configuredor instantiated at any one instance in time. For example, where ahardware module comprises a general-purpose processor configured bysoftware to become a special-purpose processor, the general-purposeprocessor may be configured as respectively different special-purposeprocessors (e.g., comprising different hardware modules) at differenttimes. Software may accordingly configure a processor, for example, toconstitute a particular hardware module at one instance of time and toconstitute a different hardware module at a different instance of time.

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions describedherein. As used herein, “processor-implemented module” refers to ahardware module implemented using one or more processors.

Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented, a processor being an example of hardware. Forexample, at least some of the operations of a method may be performed byone or more processors or processor-implemented modules.

Some portions of the subject matter discussed herein may be presented interms of algorithms or symbolic representations of operations on datastored as bits or binary digital signals within a machine memory (e.g.,a computer memory). Such algorithms or symbolic representations areexamples of techniques used by those of ordinary skill in the dataprocessing arts to convey the substance of their work to others skilledin the art. As used herein, an “algorithm” is a self-consistent sequenceof operations or similar processing leading to a desired result. In thiscontext, algorithms and operations involve physical manipulation ofphysical quantities. Typically, but not necessarily, such quantities maytake the form of electrical, magnetic, or optical signals capable ofbeing stored, accessed, transferred, combined, compared, or otherwisemanipulated by a machine. It is convenient at times, principally forreasons of common usage, to refer to such signals using words such as“data,” “content,” “bits,” “values,” “elements,” “symbols,”“characters,” “terms,” “numbers,” “numerals,” or the like. These words,however, are merely convenient labels and are to be associated withappropriate physical quantities.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, discussions herein using wordssuch as “processing.” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,”“presenting,” “displaying,” or the like may refer to actions orprocesses of a machine (e.g., a computer) that manipulates or transformsdata represented as physical (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical)quantities within one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory,non-volatile memory, or any suitable combination thereof), registers, orother machine components that receive, store, transmit, or displayinformation. Furthermore, unless specifically stated otherwise, theterms “a” or “an” are herein used, as is common in patent documents, toinclude one or more than one instance. Finally, as used herein, theconjunction “or” refers to a non-exclusive “or,” unless specificallystated otherwise.

Although an overview of the inventive subject matter has been describedwith reference to specific example embodiments, various modificationsand changes may be made to these example embodiments without departingfrom the broader scope of embodiments of the present disclosure. Forexample, various embodiments or features thereof may be mixed andmatched or made optional by a person of ordinary skill in the art. Suchembodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein,individually or collectively, by the term “invention” merely forconvenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of thisapplication to any single inventive concept if more than one is, infact, disclosed.

The example embodiments illustrated herein are described in sufficientdetail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the teachingsdisclosed. Other embodiments may be used and derived therefrom, suchthat structural and logical substitutions and changes may be madewithout departing from the scope of this disclosure. The DetailedDescription, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and thescope of various embodiments is defined only by the appended claims,along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims areentitled.

Moreover, plural instances may be provided for resources, operations, orstructures described herein as a single instance. Additionally,boundaries between various resources, operations, modules, engines, anddata stores are somewhat arbitrary, and particular operations areillustrated in a context of specific illustrative configurations. Otherallocations of functionality are envisioned and may fall within a scopeof various embodiments of the present disclosure. In general, structuresand functionality presented as separate resources in the exampleconfigurations may be implemented as a combined structure or resource.Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single resourcemay be implemented as separate resources. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within a scope ofembodiments of the present disclosure as represented by the appendedclaims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regardedin an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computerized method comprising: accessing,using at least one of one or more hardware processors, contrastenhancement data describing at least a portion of a background image forpresentation under an informational overlay on a display device, theinformational overlay comprising at least one of a graphical element ora textual element to partially obscure a scene; accessing scene changedata indicating a change in the scene; based on the scene change data,identifying, using at least one of the one or more hardware processors,at least a portion of the informational overlay under which thebackground image is to be presented; causing, on the display device,presentation of the background image atop a portion of the scenecorresponding to the at least a portion of the informational overlay;and causing presentation of the informational overlay atop thebackground image and the scene on the display device.
 2. Thecomputerized method of claim 1, further comprising: causing presentationof the scene on the display device.
 3. The computerized method of claim1, the contrast enhancement data comprising data indicating a backgroundpattern to be used for the background image, the causing of thepresentation of the background image comprising repeating the indicatedbackground pattern.
 4. The computerized method of claim 1, the contrastenhancement data comprising data indicating a color for the backgroundimage, the causing of the presentation of the background image using theindicated color.
 5. The computerized method of claim 1, the contrastenhancement data comprising data indicating a brightness for thebackground image, the causing of the presentation of the backgroundimage using the indicated brightness.
 6. The computerized method ofclaim 1, the identifying of the at least a portion of the informationaloverlay based on a brightness of the portion of the scene correspondingto the identified portion of the informational overlay.
 7. Thecomputerized method of claim 1, the identifying of the at least aportion of the informational overlay based on a visual complexity of theportion of the scene corresponding to the identified portion of theinformational overlay.
 8. The computerized method of claim 1, thecausing of the presentation of the background image atop the portion ofthe scene comprising causing temporal modulation of the backgroundimage.
 9. The computerized method of claim 1, the scene change datacomprising an indication of a portion of the scene corresponding to anobject of interest in the scene signified by the identified portion ofthe informational overlay.
 10. The computerized method of claim 9, theidentifying of the at least a portion of the informational overlayoccurring in response to the object of interest entering the portion ofthe scene.
 11. The computerized method of claim 9, the identifying ofthe at least a portion of the informational overlay occurring inresponse to the object of interest exiting the portion of the scene. 12.The computerized method of claim 9, the identifying of the at least aportion of the informational overlay occurring in response to the objectof interest encroaching within a particular perceived distance to avantage point of the scene.
 13. The computerized method of claim 9, theidentifying of the at least a portion of the informational overlayoccurring in response to the object of interest exiting from aparticular perceived distance to a vantage point of the scene.
 14. Thecomputerized method of claim 9, the identifying of the at least aportion of the informational overlay occurring in response to the scenechange data indicating a magnitude of the change in the scene exceedinga particular level during a period of time.
 15. The computerized methodof claim 9, the identifying of the at least a portion of theinformational overlay occurring in response to the scene change dataindicating a magnitude of the change in the scene falling below aparticular level during a period of time.
 16. The computerized method ofclaim 1, further comprising: comparing a current version of the scene toa previous version of the scene; and generating the scene change databased on the comparing of the current version of the scene to theprevious version of the scene.
 17. The computerized method of claim 1,further comprising: receiving movement data indicating movement of thedisplay device; and generating the scene change data based on themovement data.
 18. The computerized method of claim 17, the movementdata indicating translational movement of the display device.
 19. Thecomputerized method of claim 17, the movement data indicating rotationalmovement of the display device.
 20. A display system comprising: one ormore hardware processors; and a memory having stored thereininstructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or morehardware processors, cause the display system to perform operationscomprising: accessing contrast enhancement data describing at least aportion of a background image for presentation under an informationaloverlay on a display device, the informational overlay comprising atleast one of a graphical element or a textual element to partiallyobscure a scene; accessing scene change data indicating a change in thescene; based on the scene change data, identifying at least a portion ofthe informational overlay under which the background image is to bepresented; causing, on the display device, presentation of thebackground image atop a portion of the scene corresponding to the atleast a portion of the informational overlay; and causing presentationof the informational overlay atop the background image and the scene onthe display device.
 21. The display system of claim 20, furthercomprising the display device.
 22. The display system of claim 21, theoperations further comprising generating one or more signals includinginformation describing the scene, the background image, and theinformational overlay, and the display device configured to emit lightrepresenting the scene, the background image, and the informationaloverlay based on the one or more signals.
 23. The display system ofclaim 20, further comprising a motion detection device coupled to thedisplay device, the motion detection device configured to generatemovement data indicating movement of the display device, the operationsfurther comprising generating the scene change data based on themovement data.
 24. The display system of claim 20, the operationsfurther comprising: comparing a current version of the scene to aprevious version of the scene; and generating the scene change databased on the comparing of the current version of the scene to theprevious version of the scene.
 25. The display system of claim 20, theoperations further comprising causing presentation of the scene on thedisplay device.
 26. The display system of claim 20, wherein: the scenecomprises a view of a physical environment; the display device comprisesa transparent material through which the physical environment is viewed;the display system further comprises a projection device; and thecausing of the presentation of the background image and the causing ofthe presentation of the informational overlay comprise projecting thebackground image and the informational overlay using the projectiondevice onto the transparent material.
 27. The display system of claim20, wherein: the scene comprises a view of a physical environment; thedisplay device comprises a transparent material through which thephysical environment is viewed; and a light-emitting system coupled tothe transparent material; and the causing of the presentation of thebackground image and the causing of the presentation of theinformational overlay comprise causing presentation of the backgroundimage and the informational overlay using the light-emitting system. 28.The display system of claim 20, wherein: the scene comprises a view of aphysical environment; the display device comprises a transparentmaterial through which the physical environment is viewed, alight-emitting system coupled to the transparent material, and alight-blocking system coupled to the transparent material to at leastpartially block light from one or more portions of the scene; thecausing of the presentation of the background image using thelight-blocking system; and the causing of the presentation of theinformational overlay using the light-emitting system.
 29. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructionsthat, when executed by one or more hardware processors of a machine,cause the machine to operations comprising: accessing contrastenhancement data describing at least a portion of a background image forpresentation under an informational overlay on a display device; theinformational overlay comprising at least one of a graphical element ora textual element to partially obscure a scene; accessing scene changedata indicating a change in the scene; based on the scene change data,identifying at least a portion of the informational overlay under whichthe background image is to be presented; causing, on the display device,presentation of the background image atop a portion of the scenecorresponding to the at least a portion of the informational overlay;and causing presentation of the informational overlay atop thebackground image and the scene on the display device.